. Commercial production since: the 1870’s. The British brought tea to the island as early as the 1830’s, and it became a dominant crop after blight prevented the growth of coffee. Major tea producing regions: Ruhuna, Ratnapura, Dimbula, Uva, and Nuwara Eliya. Sri Lankan teas will often be found under the Ceylon name, an English […]

Commercial production since: The British East India Company began production in the 1820s. Major tea producing regions: Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri Although the West first grew to appreciate teas of Chinese origin, it was Indian black teas that became the affordable favorite of tradition. Here are the 10 facts you need to sound knowledgeable in Indian […]

My pursuit of teas has led me to a couple of worthwhile destinations in the past week: Mitsuwa: Ito En First stop: Mitsuwa Edgwater’s Kodawari Fair, where I spoke with Allen Liu of Ito En. Ito En’s display at the fair was well manned, and a good place to view and sample some of Ito […]